THE PORNOGRAPHY STIGMA

Pornography

Internet Pornography

Approximately 40 million people in the United States are sexually involved with the Internet
Exposing Porn: Science, Religion, and the New Addiction, Paul Strand. Christian Broadcasting Network, 2004.
2.5 billion emails per day are pornographic
Pornography Statistics 2003. Family Safe Media. www.familysafemedia.com, 2003.
25 percent of all search engine requests are pornography related
Internet Pornography Statistics: 2003, David C. Bissette, Psy.D. www.healthymind.com, 2004.
72 million Internet users visit pornography web sites per year
Pornography Statistics 2003. Internet Filter Review. www.internetfilterreview.com, 2003.
94 percent of Americans believe a ban on Internet pornography should be legal
Statistics on Internet Pornography. www.levelbest.com.
Sex is the number 1 topic searched on the Internet
Overdosing on Porn, Rebecca Hagelin. www.worldandi.com, March, 2004.
34 percent of churchgoing women said they have intentionally visited porn websites online
Internet porn a guy thing? Not really, online rating service says, Mark O’Keefe. The Charlotte Observer.
“82 percent of adult Americans surveyed in March 2004 said that the Federal laws against Internet obscenity should be vigorously enforced.”
Americans STILL want federal obscenity laws enforced! The Morality in Media Newsletter, June, 2004.
At least 20,000 American adults visit Internet sex sites at least 11 hours per week
Victims of Pornography Month Should Not Exist, Jan Larue. Christian Counseling Today, 2003 Vol. 11 No. 3.
The most common ways people have accidentally reached pornographic content on the Web are pop-up windows (55%), misrepresented links (52%), misspelled URLs (48%) and auto links within emails (23%)
Fifty Percent of Workers Spend Nine days a Year on Personal Surfing at Work. Cerberian Inc. and SonicWALL, 20 July 2004.
While 77% of surveyed people said they thought their computers were well-protected, 4 out of 5 had spyware or adware programs running on their computers
Home PCs not so safe? CNN Money, 25 October, 2004. http://money.com/2004/10/25/technology/personaltech/cpu_security.reut/index.htm?cnn=yes
15 percent of online porn habitués develop sexual behavior that disrupts their lives
The Porn Factor, Pamela Paul. www.time.com. 19 January, 2004.
According to Datamonitor, over half of all spending on the Internet is related to sexual activity. Each day 30 million people log on to pornographic Web sites
Internet pornography statistics. Internet Filter Review, 2003.
In 2004, there were 372 million pornographic Web pages, 2.5 billion emails (8% of total emails), 100 thousand Web sites offering illegal child pornography, and 72 million annual worldwide visitors to pornographic websites
Internet Pornography Statistics. Internet Filter Review, 2004.
9.3 million women access adult websites each month
Internet Pornography Statistics. Internet Filter Review, 2004.
The Internet accounted for US $2.5 billion of the adult industry’s $14 billion in U.S. revenues in 2004.
Dirty Downloads Ready to Go on iPods, Ron Harris, www.macnewsworld.com, 2005
70% of 18 to 24 year old men visit pornographic sites in a typical month. 66% of men in their 20s and 30s also report being regular users of pornography.
First-person: the culture of pornography, R. Albert Mohler, Jr., Baptist Press, 28 December 2005.

Pornography in the Workplace

More than 75% of people at work have accidentally visited a pornographic website, and 15% have visited such sites more than 10 times
Fifty Percent of Workers Spend Nine days a Year on Personal Surfing at Work. Cerberian Inc. and SonicWALL, 20 July 2004.
63 percent of employees are concerned about the ease of access to objectionable content at work
Fifty Percent of Workers Spend Nine days a Year on Personal Surfing at Work. Cerberian Inc. and SonicWALL, 20 July 2004.
Twenty percent of men and 13% of women admitted to accessing pornography at work
Internet Pornography Statistics. Internet Filter Review, 2004.

Pornography and Children

One in 17 children ages 10-17 were threatened or harassed over the Internet in 2000
Report Statistical Highlights. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Crimes Against Children, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2000.
70 percent of sexual advances over the Internet happened while youngsters were on a home computer
One in Five Kids Has Been Propositioned for Cybersex. Legal Facts. Vol. 2, No. 3, 2000.
21 percent of teens say they have looked at something on the Internet that they wouldn’t want their parents to know
A World of Their Own. Newsweek, 8 May 2000.
A survey of 600 households conducted by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children found that 20% of parents do not know any of their children’s Internet passwords, instant messaging nicknames or email addresses
Ads target online victimization of children. USA Today, 20 May 2004.
Only 5% of parents recognized the acronym POS (parent over shoulder) and only 1% could identify WTGP (want to go private?), both of which are used frequently by teens when instant messaging
Ads target online victimization of children. USA Today, 20 May 2004.
Incidents of child sexual exploitation have risen from 4,573 in 1998 to 112,083 in 2004, according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
Reports of child exploitation up. USA Today Snapshots, 17 February, 2005.
96 percent of kids have gone online; 74% having access at home and 61% use the Internet on a typical day
Kids stay connected, USA Today Snapshots. 5 January, 2004.
Twenty percent of youths received sexual solicitations. Eighty-nine percent of sexual solicitations of youths were made in chat rooms
Internet Pornography Statistics. Internet Filter Review, 2004.
The average age of first Internet exposure to pornography is 11 years old
Internet Pornography Statistics. Internet Filter Review, 2004.
The largest consumer of Internet pornography is the 12-17 age group
Internet Pornography Statistics. Internet Filter Review, 2004.
Child pornography generates $3 billion annually
Internet Pornography Statistics. Internet Filter Review, 2004.

Pornographic Cable Television and Videos

There are 800 million rentals each year of adult videos and DVDs
Overdosing on Porn, Rebecca Hagelin. www.worldandi.com, March, 2004.
11,000 adult movies are produced each year
Overdosing on Porn, Rebecca Hagelin. www.worldandi.com, March, 2004.
Cable companies brought in revenue of $177 million from sexually explicit pay-per-view programming
No Big Surge in Sex Programs is Expected From Cable Ruling, Jim Rutenberg. The New York Times, 24 May, 2000.
Condom use in the adult-film industry rose from 17% to 23% after an outbreak of HIV in March 2004; the percentage has since declined again to 17.5%
Sex-Film Industry Threatened With Condom Requirement, Nick Madigan. The New York Times, 24 August, 2004.
Half of all hotel guests order pornographic movies. These films compromise 80% of in-room entertainment revenue and 70% of total in-room revenue.
Sex-Film Industry Threatened With Condom Requirement, Nick Madigan. The New York Times, 24 August, 2004.

Pornography

23% of American adults believe “whether one likes it or not people should have full access to pornography under the Constitution’s First Amendment.”
No Consensus Among American Public on the Effects of Pornography on Adults or Children or What Government Should Do About It, Harris Poll, 7 October 2005. www.harrisinteractive.com
51% of US adults surveyed believe that pornography raises men’s expectation of how women should look and changes men’s expectations of how women should behave.
No Consensus Among American Public on the Effects of Pornography on Adults or Children or What Government Should Do About It, Harris Poll, 7 October 2005. www.harrisinteractive.com
40% of adults surveyed believe that pornography harms relationships between men and women.
No Consensus Among American Public on the Effects of Pornography on Adults or Children or What Government Should Do About It, Harris Poll, 7 October 2005. www.harrisinteractive.com
Americans spend $10 billion per year on pornography
Overdosing on Porn, Rebecca Hagelin. www.worldandi.com, March, 2004.
“For the 20-year-old kid, porn stars have kind of replaced what models used to represent.”
How One Man Unleashed the Porn Plague, Andy Butcher. Charisma Magazine, November 2003.
The Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation, a health-care clinic for porn workers, carries out 600 AIDS and STD tests per month
How One man Unleashed the porn Plague, Andy Butcher. Charisma Magazine, November 2003.
38 percent of adults believe it is ‘morally acceptable’ to look at pictures of nudity or explicit sexual behavior
Morality Continues to Decay. Barna Research Group, 3 November, 2003.
59 percent of adults believe it is ‘morally acceptable’ to have sexual thoughts or fantasies
Morality Continues to Decay. Barna Research Group, 3 November, 2003.
38 percent of adults believe there is nothing wrong with pornography use
Morality Continues to Decay. Barna Research Group, 3 November, 2003.
42 percent of surveyed adults indicated that their partner’s use of pornography made them feel insecure
Marriage Related Research, Mark A. Yarhouse, Psy.D. Christian Counseling Today, 2004 Vol. 12 No. 1.
41 percent of surveyed adults admitted they felt less attractive due to their partner’s pornography use
Marriage Related Research, Mark A. Yarhouse, Psy.D. Christian Counseling Today, 2004 Vol. 12 No. 1.
30 percent of surveyed adults said their partner’s use of pornography made them feel more like a sexual object
Marriage Related Research, Mark A. Yarhouse, Psy.D. Christian Counseling Today, 2004 Vol. 12 No. 1.
“A wave of confessionals and self-help guides written by current or former stars of pornographic films is flooding bookstores this year, accompanied by erotic novels, racy sexual-instruction guides, histories of sexual particulars and photographic treatments of the world of pornography.”
Sex, Sex, Sex: Up Front in Bookstores Near You, Edward Wyatt. The New York Times, 24 August, 2004.
For every 10 men in church, 5 are struggling with pornography
The Call to Biblical Manhood. Man in the Mirror, 6 July, 2004.
The more pornography men watch, the more likely they are to describe women in sexualized terms and categorize women in traditional gender roles
The Porn Factor, Pamela Paul. www.time.com. 19 January, 2004.
Median age for the first use of pornography: boys: 11-13 girls: 12-14
Your Children & Pornography: A guide for Parents, Tom Buford. Tommera Press, 2001.
47.78 percent of families said pornography is a problem in their home
Focus on the Family Poll, 1 October, 2003.
According to pastors, the 8 top sexual issues damaging to their congregation are: 57% pornography addiction, 34% sexually active never-married adults, 30% adultery of married adults, 28% sexually active teenagers, 16% sexual dissatisfaction, 14% unwed pregnancy, 13% sexually active previously married adults, and 9% sexual abuse.
More Sex, Please. Christianity Today International, Winter 2005.
According to 2004 IFR research, U.S. porn revenue exceeds the combined revenues of ABC, CBS, and NBC (6.2 billion). Porn revenue is larger than all combined revenues of all professional football, baseball and basketball franchises. The pornography industry, according to conservative estimates, brings in $57 billion per year, of which the United States is responsible for $12 billion.
Internet Pornography and Loneliness: An Association? Vincent Cyrus Yoder, Thomas B. Virden III, and Kiran Amin. Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity, Volume 12.1, 2005.
Non-Internet pornography can be purchased or used through the Internet and is estimated to produce $20 billion in revenue world wide (IFR, 2004).
Internet pornography statistics. Internet Filter Review, 2004.
One out of every six women grapples with addiction to pornography
Internet Pornography and Loneliness: An Association? Vincent Cyrus Yoder, Thomas B. Virden III, and Kiran Amin. Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity, Volume 12.1, 2005.
Playboy’s third quarter profit rose to $3.2 million from $1.9 million in 2005.
Porn may be on the way for iPods, Rebecca Barr, www.azcentral.com, 2005

Teens and Sex

STDs

Approximately 19 million new cases of STDs occurred in 2000, of which 9.1 million (48%) were among young people ages 15-24
Sexually Transmitted Diseases Among American Youth: Incidence and Prevalence Estimates, 2000, Hillard Weinstock, Stuart Berman and Willard Cates, Jr. Allen Guttmacher Institute, 2004.
68 percent of teens are unconcerned about STDs
Charlotte Observer, April 2004.
78 percent of new cases of genital herpes were caused by a virus found chiefly in the mouths of 16-21 year olds
Oral Sex: A dangerous Teen Trend, Caroline Stanley. Ladies’ Home Journal, 2004.
One out of every two sexually active young people can expect to become infected with a STD by age 25
Sexually transmitted infection rates soar among youth, Cheryl Wetzstein. The Washington Times, 1-7 March, 2004.
Half of the 18.9 million new STD cases in 2000 were among youths ages 15-24
Sexually transmitted infection rates soar among youth, Cheryl Wetzstein. The Washington Times, 1-7 March, 2004.
Every day, 8,000 teenagers become infected by a STD
Sexually Active Teenagers Are More Likely to Be Depressed and to Attempt Suicide, Robert Rector, Kirk Johnson and Lauren Noyes. The Heritage Foundation, 3 June, 2003.
One in 25 young Americans are infected with chlamydia, which is thought to be the most prevalent bacterial STD in the USA
Chlamydia infection prevalent among unsuspecting young Americas, Rita Rubin. USA Today, 12 May, 2004.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the STD syphilis decreased in the United States through the 1990s, then climbed 19% from 2000 to 2003 to about 7,100 cases. The CDC attributed the spike to a twelve-fold rise in cases among gay and bisexual men, many of whom are also infected with the AIDS virus.
Mutant syphilis strain resists common cure. http://www.cnn.com/2004/health/07/08/syphilis.resistance.ap/index.html. 8 July, 2004.
Sexual activity is responsible for four out of the five most commonly reported infectious diseases in the USA
USA Today Snapshots, Cristina Abello and Suzy Parker. 9 December, 2004.
Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is the most common STD transmitted today by skin-to-skin contact
Promiscuous Plague, Karen Testerman. The World & I, March 2004.
A girl is four times more likely to contract an STD than to become pregnant
Promiscuous Plague, Karen Testerman. The World & I, March 2004.
A young mother today has had on average 2.3 STDs
Promiscuous Plague, Karen Testerman. The World & I, March 2004.
Nearly half of the nation’s new STD cases occur each year among adolescents and young adults. In 2000, 9.1 million cases of STDs occurred in sexually active Americans in this age group
Sexually transmitted diseases among American youth. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2004.
One in two sexually active youth will contract an STD by age 25
State of the Nation: Challenges Facing STD Prevention in Youth. American Social Health Association, 2005.
Less than half of high school students reported discussion of sex or STDs during their preventive health visits, and males were less likely to have such discussions
State of the Nation: Challenges Facing STD Prevention in Youth. American Social Health Association, 2005.
Chlamydia—an often asymptomatic, yet easily curable, bacterial infection—is most prevalent among persons ages 15 to 24. Guidelines for annual chlamydia screening among sexually active young women are not adequately followed. Only an estimated 30-45% of eligible young females were screened in 2003
State of the Nation: Challenges Facing STD Prevention in Youth. American Social Health Association, 2005.
Teens from communities of color are disproportionately affected by STDs. Young African American women experience at least 14 times the reported gonorrhea rates and about 6 times the chlamydia rates of young white women. Chlamydia rates among African American men ages 15-24 were 12 times higher than rates among young white males.
State of the Nation: Challenges Facing STD Prevention in Youth. American Social Health Association, 2005.
The majority of adolescents surveyed by the American Social Health Association (ASHA) believed they are tested during routine medical examinations for major STDs: chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV, hepatitis B, herpes, HPV, syphilis, and trichomoniasis.
State of the Nation: Challenges Facing STD Prevention in Youth. American Social Health Association, 2005.
Over half of those surveyed by ASHA believed that their partner was associated with STD preventive behaviors.
State of the Nation: Challenges Facing STD Prevention in Youth. American Social Health Association, 2005.

STDs and HIV

More than one million Americans are believed to be living with HIV. An estimated 40,000 new HIV infections have occurred every year since the 1990s.
Daniel Yee, Cincinnati Enquirer, 14 June 2005.
A million Americans are now living with the AIDS virus.
Daniel Yee, Cincinnati Enquirer, 14 June 2005.
In 2002, it was estimated that 3.2 million teens under the age of 15 were living with HIV
AIDS, Sex & Teens. www.avert.org.
Women account for about 25% of the roughly one million Americans believed to be living with HIV.
HIV striking more women in South, Steve Sternberg. USA Today. 15 June 2005.
According to a study of HIV risk factors, of the 132 women surveyed in North Carolina: HIV-positive women began having sex at 14 1⁄2 years old, a year earlier than those who were HIV negative; 97% of those who were HIV-positive reported having unprotected sex versus 83% of those who were uninfected; 2/3 of HIV-positive women reported having had other STDs, compared with the 65% of those who were HIV-negative.
HIV striking more women in South, Steve Sternberg, USA Today. 15 June 2005.
There are 40,000 new HIV cases each year and as many as 950,000 people living with HIV/AIDS
Study: Pattern of HIV infections shows blacks bearing the brunt, Steve Sternberg. USA Today, 2 December, 2004.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 40,000 new HIV infections each year
CDC widens access to preventive HIV drugs, Anita Manning. USA Today, 21 January, 2005.
Only 116 of 270 adolescents (43%) who differentiated condom efficacy among STDs felt that condoms were very effective for HIV, although research has proven condoms to be highly effective against HIV based on lab and epidemiological findings.
State of the Nation: Challenges Facing STD Prevention in Youth. American Social Health Association, 2005.
Forty percent of older adolescents surveyed by the Kaiser Family Foundation incorrectly believe that the contraceptive “pill” and “shot” protect against STDs and HIV.
State of the Nation: Challenges Facing STD Prevention in Youth. American Social Health Association, 2005.
Although African Americans compromise about 13% if the U.S. population, they accounted for over 50% of new HIV diagnoses reported in 2002 and 49% of AIDS diagnoses in 2003. Among women ages 13 to 24, African American and Hispanic females account for over 75% of reported HIV infections.
State of the Nation: Challenges Facing STD Prevention in Youth. American Social Health Association, 2005.
Half of all new HIV infections occur among adolescents.
State of the Nation: Challenges Facing STD Prevention in Youth. American Social Health Association, 2005.

Condoms

42 percent of high school students admitted to having sex without a condom
Teens, Sex & the Media. Media Scope. 2001.
Among students reporting sexual intercourse in the past three months, 43% of Hispanic teens and 37% of white teens did not use a condom at last sexual intercourse compared to only 27% of African American teens.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth risk behavior surveillance—United States, 2003. MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 2004.
One in three teens say they can get free condoms on a regular basis. Only 4% go to parents or relatives for condoms. Forty percent of these teens get their condoms from clinics, 16% from friends, and 14% from school.
Where teens get free condoms. USA Today Snapshots.

Abstinence

Virginity pledgers are less likely to use contraception at first intercourse, but their likelihood of using contraception is no different from sexually active pledgers after their first sexual experience.
Adolescent virginity pledges and risky sexual behaviors, Robert Rector, The Heritage Foundation, 14 June 2005.
There are over 1,000 abstinence-until-marriage programs around the United States and 1/3 of public middle and high schools say that abstinence is ‘the main message in their sex education.’
Abstinence Until Marriage: The Best Message for Teens, Bridget E. Maher. Family Research Council, 7 September 2004.
The abstinence education program Choosing the Best is 47% more effective at delaying a teen’s first sexual encounter than condom-promoting sex education programs
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. November 2004. www.cdc.gov
Adolescents who take virginity pledges:
- Are less likely to experience teen pregnancy;
- Are less likely to be sexually active while in high school and as young adults;
- Are less likely to give birth as teens or young adults;
- Are less likely to give birth out of wedlock;
- Are less likely to engage in risky unprotected sex; and
- Will have fewer sexual partners
  
  Teens Who Make Virginity Pledges Have Substantially Improved Life Outcomes, Robert Rector, Kirk Johnson, and Jennifer Marshall. The Heritage Foundation, 21 September 2004.
The decade’s 33% drop in teenage pregnancy can be attributed to sexual abstinence (53%) and improved contraceptive use (47%)
Journal of Adolescent Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. August, 2004. www.teenpregnancy.org.
About 11% of males and 13% of females have taken virginity pledges Tenagers in the United States: Sexual Activity, Contraceptive Use, and Childbearing, 2002.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC. December 2004.
Federal appropriations for abstinence-only education programs have exceeded $1 billion since 1982 and over $200 million was proposed by President Bush for federal fiscal year 2006 alone.
State of the Nation: Challenges Facing STD Prevention in Youth. American Social Health Association, 2005
A 2001 study of 6,800 students showed that virgins who took an abstinence pledge were likely to abstain from sex for 18 months longer than those who did not take the pledge.
Sex in the Body of Christ, Lauren F. Winner. Christianity Today, May 2005.
A 2003 Northern Kentucky University study showed that 61% of students who signed sexual-abstinence commitment cards broke their pledges. Of the remaining 39% who kept their pledges, 55% said they’d had oral sex, and did not consider oral sex to be sex. A roughly equivalent percentage of self-identified evangelical college students said they do not consider anal intercourse to be sex.
Sex in the Body of Christ, Lauren F. Winner. Christianity Today, May 2005.

Teen Pregnancy

An estimated 18% of girls who are 15 years old will have a baby before age 20
The Percentage of Teens Having Sex Continues to Decline, Amber Moore. www.childtrends.org, 24 November, 2003.
The United States' birth rate among teens is the highest compared to France, Canada, Japan and Great Britain
What is the Story on Teen Sexuality?, Andrea Pennington, M.D. http://health.discovery.com.
85 percent of the 1 million teen pregnancies per year in the United States are unplanned
Statistics on Teen Pregnancies. www.pregnacny-info.net.
Women ages 20-24 obtain 32% of all abortions
Who Has Abortions? Focus on the Family. http://www.family.org/pregnancy/articles/a0030225.cfm - 22.1KB
82 percent of teens did not use birth control pills during last sexual intercourse
US Teens’ Sexual Behavior Statistics. Focus on the Family.
http://www.family.org/cforum/fosi/abstinence/facts/a0027048.cfm, 24 July, 2003.
Each year, one in ten girls under the ages of 20 – one million per year – becomes pregnant; 40% of these pregnancies will end in abortion
Stop Worrying, Start Talking. Better Homes and Gardens, 2003.
84 percent of teens say pregnancy-prevention programs should teach young people to be married before they have a child
Teens want to wait for sex, Joyce Howard Price. The Washington Times, December 2003.
42 percent of teens ages 13-17 see having a baby outside of marriage as morally acceptable
Teens’ Marriage Views Reflect Changing Norms, Linda Lyons. The Gallup Organization, 18 November 2003.
The highest unwed birthrates are among those age 20-24
Abstinence Until Marriage: The Best Message for Teens, Bridget E. Maher. Family Research Council, 7 September 2004.
Teen childbearing costs U.S. taxpayers an estimated $7 billion per year in social services and lost tax revenue due to government dependency
Abstinence Until Marriage: The Best Message for Teens, Bridget E. Maher. Family Research Council, 7 September 2004.
80 percent of women who choose to parent while they are teens will live at the poverty level for 10 years or more
Promiscuous Plague, Karen Testerman. The World & I, March 2004.

Teen Sex

42 percent of guys and 33% of girls ages 15-17 have had intercourse
Let's Talk About Sex, Melissa Daly. Seventeen Magazine, July 2003.
In grades 7-12, 23.4% of first sexual relationships are one-night stands
Study: Teens who hurry love less likely to use birth control, Karen S. Peterson. USA Today.
25% of girls and 30% of boys have sex by age 15, 21% of 9^th graders have slept with four or more partners, 50% of 17 year olds have had sex, 80% of teens have sex by age 19, 55% of teens ages 13-19 have engaged in oral sex.
Mama, don’t let your babies grow up to be sexually ignorant, Shannon Ethridge. Enrichment Journal. 2005.
75% of teen girls 15-19 agree that society tells girls that attracting boys and acting sexy is one of the most important things girls can do.
www.teenpregnancy.org 2004.
53.2% of teens age 15-19 agree with the following statement, “It is alright for unmarried 18 year olds to have sexual intercourse if they have strong affection for each other.”
www.teenpregnancy.org, 2004
Most teens believe intercourse is the only thing that constitutes as sex and other sexual activities do not count.
‘Technical Virginity’ becomes part of teens’ equation, USA Today 19 October 2005.
33 percent of guys and 23% of girls feel some or a lot of pressure to have sex
Let's Talk About Sex, Melissa Daly. Seventeen Magazine, July 2003.
Two-thirds of U.S. teenagers who have had sexual relations wish they had waited longer
Teens want to wait for sex, Joyce Howard Price. The Washington Times, December 2003.
28 percent of teens say they have become more opposed to early sex
Teens want to wait for sex, Joyce Howard Price. The Washington Times, December 2003.
26 percent of teens think it is embarrassing to admit they are virgins
Teens want to wait for sex, Joyce Howard Price. The Washington Times, December 2003.
“The generation we are looking at right now has never known a time of innocence.”
How One man Unleashed the porn Plague, Andy Butcher. Charisma Magazine, November 2003.
Sexually active girls are more than three times more likely to be depressed than are girls who are not sexually active; sexually active boys are more than twice as likely to be depressed as are those who are not sexually active
Sexually Active Teenagers Are More Likely to Be Depressed and to Attempt Suicide, Robert Rector, Kirk Johnson and Lauren Noyes. The Heritage Foundation, 3 June, 2003.
Sexually active girls are nearly three times more likely to attempt suicide than are girls who are not sexually active; sexually boys are eight times more likely to attempt suicide than are boys who are not sexually active
Sexually Active Teenagers Are More Likely to Be Depressed and to Attempt Suicide, Robert Rector, Kirk Johnson and Lauren Noyes. The Heritage Foundation, 3 June, 2003.
53 percent of adolescent males have been masturbated, 49% have received oral sex, 39% have given oral sex and 11% have had anal sex
Teen ‘virgins’ are having sex in many ways, Karen Peterson. USA Today, 19 December, 2000.
85 percent of teens ages 15-17 who have had sex said their decision was influenced by curiosity
Virginity and The First Time. The Kaiser Family Foundation, October, 2003.
Over 50% of teens ages 15-17 believed they would marry their first sexual partner
Virginity and The First Time. The Kaiser Family Foundation, October, 2003.
There is a tight connection between teen girls’ sexual behavior and dating older boys
Study finds older boys are bad influence. http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/08/19/sex.drugs.boys.reut/index.html. 19 August 2004.
57 percent of teens ages 13-17 see sex outside of marriage as morally acceptable
Teens’ Marriage Views Reflect Changing Norms, Linda Lyons. The Gallup Organization, 18 November 2003.
65 percent of young people have sex before they finish high school
Teens’ Marriage Views Reflect Changing Norms, Linda Lyons. The Gallup Organization, 18 November 2003.
Most strongly religious students tend to hold conservative views on sex, abortion, gay rights and drugs
Spiritual students mostly lean right, Mary Beth Marklein. USA Today, 28 July, 2004.
Over 40 percent of 15-year-olds are sexually active
Experts in Sex Field Say Conservatives Interfere With Health and Research, Mireya Navarro. The New York Times, 11 July, 2004.
93 percent of teenagers believe that teens should be given a strong message from society to abstain from sex until at least after high school
Abstinence Until Marriage: The Best Message for Teens, Bridget E. Maher. Family Research Council, 7 September 2004.
The number of teens having sex has declined by 16% over the last decade
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. November 2004. www.cdc.gov
58 percent of females and 40% of males ages 13-19 say they up their confidence level by changing their appearance
USA Today Snapshots, Rebecca Johnson and Alejandro Gonzalez. 21 October, 2004.
Among boys 15-17, virginity rates rose from 57% in 1995 to 69% in 2004. For girls the same age, virginity was up from 62% to 70%.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. www.cdc.gov. December 2004.
Girls see over 400 advertisements per day telling them how they should look
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. www.cdc.gov
In 2002, about 47% of female teenagers (4.6 million), and about 46% of male teenagers (4.7 million) had had sexual intercourse at least once
Teenagers in the United States: Sexual Activity, Contraceptive Use, and Childbearing, 2002. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC. December 2004.
The percent of never-married males aged 15-19 who ever had sexual intercourse declined significantly between 1995 and 2002, from 55 to 46 percent
Teenagers in the United States: Sexual Activity, Contraceptive Use, and Childbearing, 2002. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC. December 2004.
Among the 5.5 million male and 5.2 million female teens who had not yet had sex, the main reasons for not having sex was that it was “against religion or morals”
Teenagers in the United States: Sexual Activity, Contraceptive Use, and Childbearing, 2002. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC. December 2004.
In 2002, 30% of female teens aged 15-17 and 31% of male teens this age range had had sex, down from 38% and 43% respectively
Teenagers in the United States: Sexual Activity, Contraceptive Use, and Childbearing, 2002. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC. December 2004.
A study from The Journal of the American Medical Association that enrolled 2,117 teenage girls and women ages 15-24 revealed that those who received emergency contraceptive pills in advance were nearly twice as likely to use them as other participants
Study: Sex habits unchanged by emergency pill. USA Today. 5 January, 2005.
Nearly 3 in 10 (27%) 13-16 year olds are sexually active
Nearly 3 in 10 young teens ‘sexually active.’ NBC News, PEOPLE Magazine Poll, 19 January 2005.
The first “map” of teen sexual behavior has found a chain of 288 one-to-one sexual relationships at a high school in the U.S. Midwest, meaning the teenager at the end of the chain may have had direct sexual contact with only one person, but indirect contact with 286 others
Sex Map Shows Chain of Almost 300 High School Lovers, Maggie Fox. Reuters, 24 January, 2005.
34 percent of surveyed church members were worried about teen sex, and one-third worried about sex outside marriage.
Sex in the Body of Christ, Lauren F. Winner. Christianity Today, May 2005.
Sexual intercourse among high school students was more common among African American teens (67.3%) than Hispanic (51.4%) and white (41.8%) teens.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth risk behavior surveillance—United States, 2003. MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 2004.
About 30% of African American teens reported a history of four or more sexual partners compared to approximately 16% of Hispanic teens and 11% of white teens.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth risk behavior surveillance—United States, 2003. MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 2004.
Almost half of high school students nationwide and about 62% of students in the twelfth-grade have had sexual intercourse.
State of the Nation: Challenges Facing STD Prevention in Youth. American Social Health Association, 2005.
The Kaiser Family Foundation found 60% of teens cited “many of their friends had already done it” as a factor influencing their decision to have sex, and a similar number believed that their peers think having sex by age 15 is socially acceptable.
Sex Smarts: Virginity and the first time, J Davis: Ed. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2003.
Teen pregnancy and urban youth: competing truths, complacency, and perceptions of the problem, Gallup-Black A and Wietzman BC. Journal of Adolescent Health, 2004.
Certain motives for sex, including pleasure and enjoyment (more common among male adolescents) were related to greater sexual risk-taking compared to motives such as intimacy, strengthening emotional bonds, or love.
Perceived STD risk, relationship, and health values in adolescents’ delaying sexual intercourse with new partners, Rosengard C, et al. Sexually transmitted Infections, 2004.
Teenage “dating” websites that boast millions of members encourage teenage patrons to select not prom dates but partners for casual sexual escapades.
Sex in the Body of Christ, Lauren F. Winner. Christianity Today, May 2005.
Fifty-two percent of American women have sex before turning 18, and 75% have sex before they get married.
Sex in the Body of Christ, Lauren F. Winner. Christianity Today, May 2005.
According to a 2002 study by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Seventeen magazine, more than a quarter of 15 to 17-year-old girls say that sexual intercourse is “almost always” or “most of the time” part of a “casual relationship.”
Sex in the Body of Christ, Lauren F. Winner. Christianity Today, May 2005.

Teen Sex and Parents

38.3% of teens say their parents are the largest influence on their sexual decision-making
www.teenpregnancy.org, 2004.
49 percent of teens said their parents influenced their decisions about sex most strongly
Abstinence Until Marriage: The Best Message for Teens, Bridget E. Maher. Family Research Council, 7 September 2004.
88 percent of teens ages 12-19 say it would be easier to postpone sexual activity if able to have more open, honest conversations with parents
National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, September 2003.
While both parents and teens report talking to each other about sex and relationships, there appears to be a disconnect: twice as many parents than teens maintain these conversations happen often (85% to 41%)
Nearly 3 in 10 young teens ‘sexually active.’ NBC News, PEOPLE Magazine Poll, 19 January 2005.
While 27% of teens report having been sexually intimate, only about half of their parents (15%) believed their teens have gone beyond kissing
Nearly 3 in 10 young teens ‘sexually active.’ NBC News, PEOPLE Magazine Poll, 19 January 2005.
91 percent of teens ages 15-17 that have not had sex said they were influenced by what their parents have taught them about sex
Virginity and The First Time. The Kaiser Family Foundation, October, 2003.
A new Johns Hopkins University study found that teenage African-American girls with an actively involved parent are less likely to contract a sexually transmitted disease; the study also found communication alone is not enough - parents need to be specific about boundaries on sexual behaviors.
Parental Involvement Key, Study Says, Steve Jordahl. Family News In Focus, 12 July 2004.
While research indicates 84% of parents don’t think their teens are sexually active, 50% of high schoolers are
U.S. Census Bureau. www.census.gov. October 2004.
A national survey of parents of high school students conducted by the Society for Adolescent Medicine found that almost 60% were concerned about the consequences of adolescent sexual behavior, but 84% of parents did not believe their own child was sexually active.
New survey reveals surprising insights into parental attitudes toward teenage sexual behavior: parents share top concerns about their high schoolers. Society for Adolescent Medicine, 16 Aug 2004 <http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-08/cw-nsr081004.php>.
The Heritage Foundation found that 75% of parents believe schools should teach children about abstinence and contraceptives, including condoms.
What do parents want taught in sex education programs? Rector RE, Pardue MG and Martin S. The Heritage Foundation, 2004.

Oral Sex

More than half of teens ages 15-19 say they’ve had oral sex.
Survey: Many teenagers have oral sex, Sharon Jayson. USA Today 9 September 2005.
77% of teens would classify oral sex as “sex,” while 43% say oral sex is not seen as being as big a deal as sexual intercourse
Nearly 3 in 10 young teens ‘sexually active.’ NBC News, PEOPLE Magazine Poll, 19 January 2005.
Adolescents believe oral sex is safer than intercourse, with less risk to their physical and emotional health.
A sense of intimacy appears to be lacking, Sharon Jayson, USA Today 19 October 2005.
Nine in 10 teens who have had oral sex say they know an STD can be spread through oral sex, but only 3 in 10 always use protection when they have oral sex
Nearly 3 in 10 young teens ‘sexually active.’ NBC News, PEOPLE Magazine Poll, 19 January 2005.
Roughly half of young teens who have had oral sex or sexual intercourse have been involved in a casual relationship; 67 percent of those that have engaged in casual relationships often do so “to satisfy a sexual desire”
Nearly 3 in 10 young teens ‘sexually active.’ NBC News, PEOPLE Magazine Poll, 19 January 2005.
55 percent of teens ages 13-19 admitted to engaging in oral sex
Seventeen Magazine, 2001.
A study of 580 ethnically diverse ninth-grade adolescents showed more participants having oral sex (13.5%) than vaginal sex (13.5%), and more participants intended to have oral sex in the next 6 months (31.5%) than vaginal sex (26.3%). Participants evaluated oral sex as less dangerous and more acceptable than vaginal sex for adolescents their age.
Oral Versus Vaginal Sex Among Adolescents: Perceptions, Attitudes, and Behavior, Bonnie L. Halpern-Felsher, Jodie L. Cornell, Rhonda Y. Kropp, and Jeanne M. Tschann. Pediatrics, 4 April 2004.
Studies indicate that between 14% and 50% of adolescents have had oral sex before their first experience with sexual intercourse, that more adolescents have had oral sex than vaginal sex, and that few adolescents who engage in oral sex are using barrier protection.
Oral Versus Vaginal Sex Among Adolescents: Perceptions, Attitudes, and Behavior, Bonnie L. Halpern-Felsher, Jodie L. Cornell, Rhonda Y. Kropp, and Jeanne M. Tschann. Pediatrics, 4 April 2004.
A greater number of adolescents believe they have absolutely zero chance of contracting chlamydia and HIV from oral sex (14% and 13%) versus vaginal sex (1% and 2%).
Oral Versus Vaginal Sex Among Adolescents: Perceptions, Attitudes, and Behavior, Bonnie L. Halpern-Felsher, Jodie L. Cornell, Rhonda Y. Kropp, and Jeanne M. Tschann. Pediatrics, 4 April 2004.

Marriage and Family

Cohabitation/Premarital Sex

An estimated 5.08 million adult couples were cohabitating in 2004.
USA Today, 22 July 2005.
Half of unmarried men ages 20-29 said they would have sex without any interest in marriage
Why Men Won't Commit: Exploring Young Men's Attitudes About Sex, Dating and Marriage, Barbara Dafoe Whitehead and David Popenoe. The National Marriage Project, 2002.
Cohabitating couples have twice the breakup rate of married couples.
Divorce declining, but so is marriage, Sharon Jayson. USA Today 18 July 2005.
More than 2/3 of married couples in the US say they lived together before marriage.
‘Cohabitation is replacing dating,’ Sharon Jayson, USA Today 18 July 2005.
60 percent of adults believe it is ‘morally acceptable’ to cohabitate, while 50% of born-again Christians believe it is ‘morally acceptable’ to cohabitate
Morality Continues to Decay. Barna Research Group, 3 November, 2003.
42 percent of adults believe it is ‘morally acceptable’ to have a sexual relationship with someone of the opposite sex to whom you are not married
Morality Continues to Decay. Barna Research Group, 3 November, 2003.
36 percent of adults view sex between unmarried people morally wrong
USA Today Snapshots, Julia Neyman and Bob Laird. 13 September, 2004.
In 2003, 9.2 million men and women lived together in 4.6 million unmarried-partner households.
America’s Families and Living Arrangements: 2003. U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau. November 2004.
More than 237,000 unmarried people in North Carolina live together, as do 4.9 million across the USA, according to the 2000 Census.
Sex and sensibilities. USA Today, 17 May 2005.
Studies show that children raised by cohabiting parents have more school and emotional problems.
Sex and sensibilities. USA Today, 17 May 2005.
A 2002 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 41% of American women aged 15 to 44 have, at some point, cohabited with a man.
Sex in the Body of Christ, Lauren F. Winner. Christianity Today, May 2005.
According to the 2000 census, the number of unmarried couples living together has increased tenfold between 1960 and 2000, and 72 percent between 1990 and 2000.
Sex in the Body of Christ, Lauren F. Winner. Christianity Today, May 2005.

Same-Sex Marriage

Massachusetts remains the only state in the nation where same-sex marriages are legal. In the past year, more than 6,100 same-sex couples have gotten married—one out of six marriage licenses issued in the state. Connecticut and Vermont have legalized civil unions, giving same-sex couples the same benefits as married couples without marriage.
Gay-marriage debate still intense a year later, Charisse Jones. USA Today, 17 May 2005.
In Massachusetts, there has been an overwhelming shift in support for gay marriage, with 56% supporting it and 37% opposing it, according to a March 2005 Boston Globe poll. In February 2004, voters opposed same-sex marriage 53% to 35%.
The sky didn’t fall in Mass, Deb Price. USA Today, 17 May 2005.
Opposition to same-sex marriage reached a historic high in March 2005, reaching 68 percent. These numbers decreased in a April 29-May 1 poll, with 56% opposition and 39% support of same-sex marriage.
Gay-marriage debate still intense a year later, Charisse Jones. USA Today, 17 May 2005.
In the November 2005 elections, 11 states passed amendments to ban same-sex marriages.
Sex and sensibilities. USA Today, 17 May 2005.
Since Massachusetts’ legalization of same-sex marriages, 65% to 34% of voters say it has not weakened the institution of marriage. Thirteen percent say gay marriage has had a negative effect on married heterosexuals.
The sky didn’t fall in Mass, Deb Price. USA Today, 17 May 2005.
By 50% to 37%, adults nationwide oppose same-sex marriage.
The sky didn’t fall in Mass, Deb Price. USA Today, 17 May 2005.

Marriage and Family

957,200 divorces and 2,355,005 marriages took place in 2000, making the divorce rate 40%
The Divorce Rate, The National Center for Health Statistics. www.divorcereform.org, 2000.
Among married men, 63% grew up in two-parent homes versus 37% in non-traditional families
Men from traditional homes are more the ‘marrying kind,’ Marilyn Elias. USA Today, 23 June, 2004.
94 percent of married men say they are happier being married than being single
Men from traditional homes are more the ‘marrying kind,’ Marilyn Elias. USA Today, 23 June, 2004.
Married couples with children make up just 24% of households in 2000, down from 40% in 1970, and expected to sink to 20% by 2010.
Teens’ Marriage Views Reflect Changing Norms, Linda Lyons. The Gallup Organization, 18 November, 2003.
Married people are healthier than other adults
National Center for Health Statistics. www.cdc.gov/nchs. December 2004.
The decline in the proportion of family groups with children that were married-couple families leveled off during the mid-1990s, at about 68% from 1996 to 2003 due to declining divorce rates and reduced non-marital fertility, especially among teens.
America’s Families and Living Arrangements: 2003. U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau. November 2004.
81 percent of all households in 1970 were family households, but the proportion dropped to 68% by 2003.
America’s Families and Living Arrangements: 2003. U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau. November 2004.
In 1970, the median age at first marriage was 20.8 years for women and 23.2 years for men. By 2003, these ages had risen to 25.3 years and 27.1 years, respectively.
America’s Families and Living Arrangements: 2003. U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau. November 2004.
Up to 20% of couples now report having sex no more than 10 times a year, qualifying them for what experts call “sexless marriages”
I Love Them, I Love Him Not, Judith Warner. The New York Times, 14 February, 2005.
Children are a growing “impediment” to a happy marriage
The State of Our Unions, Rutgers University. The National Marriage Project, June 2004.
Fewer children are growing up with happily married parents today than one generation ago. From 1973 to 1976, 51% of children under the age of 18 were living in a household in which the parents’ marriage was rated as “very happy.” From 1997 to 2002, only 37% were so fortunate.
The State of Our Unions, Rutgers University. The National Marriage Project, June 2004.
A survey conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates for the Shell Oil Company and printed in the USA Snapshots section of the USA Today newspaper indicated that 60% of adults said the decline of moral values was America's most serious problem. The causes of moral decline were ranked as follows: families not teaching children good values (88%); rise in drug abuse (83%); society too tolerant of bad behavior (80%); adult language/sexually explicit TV (73%); pornography on the Internet (62%); reduced influence of religion (62%).
Parents Are The Antidote for Moral Decline, Linda S. Mintle. Christianity.com, 1999.
Four out of every ten adults say their top priority in life is having a satisfying family life. Forty-seven percent of the adults who have been divorced indicated that a fulfilling family life was currently their highest priority. The second-most common life priority, listed by 18 percent of adults, was that of understanding and carrying out the principles of their faith (22% women and 14% men).
What is A Purpose-Driven Life to Americans? The Barna Group, 17 May 2005.

Extra-Marital Affairs

91 percent of adults view polygamy and affairs outside of marriage morally wrong
USA Today Snapshots, Julia Neyman and Bob Laird. 13 September, 2004.
83 percent of 86 surveyed married people do not see electronic "dates" as cheating
No Mystery Left: Is the Easy Availability of Online Porn Leaving Kids Too Sex-Savvy? www.abcnews.com. 18 October, 2003.
Those who are promiscuous before marriage may be more likely to cheat on their spouses once married.
Sex in the Body of Christ, Lauren F. Winner. Christianity Today, May 2005.
Five percent of pastors and 14% or laity have committed adultery. The primary reason was marital dissatisfaction.
Christians and Sex: Sexual Issues in the Church. Christianity Today, 2003.

Single Parent Households

In 2004, 1.5 million babies were born to unwed mothers.
Sharon Jayson, USA Today 2005.
Single-mother families increased from 3 million in 1970 to 10 million in 2003, while the number of single-father families grew from less than 500,000 to 2 million.
America’s Families and Living Arrangements: 2003. U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau. November 2004.

Single Adults

36 percent of unmarried men agree that ‘single men have better sex lives than married men.
Men from traditional homes are more the ‘marrying kind,’ Marilyn Elias. USA Today, 23 June, 2004.
A 1990s survey of single Christians showed that approximately one-third of respondents were virgins.
Sex in the Body of Christ, Lauren F. Winner. Christianity Today, May 2005.

Religion

Half of Americans 45 or older say they are somewhat religious; 20% cite their most satisfying spiritual experience is prayer, 19% say living a good life, 19% say helping others, 13% say being with family, and 10% say attending religious services.
Prayer most pleasing, USA Today Snapshots. 10 January, 2005.
Almost half of churchgoers want to hear more scriptural teachings on sex (44%). Forty-four percent say they are satisfied with the frequency of sermons addressing sex.
More Sex, Please. Christianity Today International, Winter 2005.
Nearly 9 in 10 pastors are counseling a parishioner on sexual issues once a year or more.
Christians and Sex: Sexual Issues in the Church. Christianity Today, 2003.
Seventy-one percent of pastors and 49% of laity would like their sexual intimacy to be more frequent.
Christians and Sex: Sexual Issues in the Church. Christianity Today, 2003.
Laity respondents are more likely than pastors to confess adultery to their spouses (45% to 20%).
Christians and Sex: Sexual Issues in the Church. Christianity Today, 2003.
Very few churches have established policies to protect pastors from sexual temptation. The most frequent policy is to have a window in the pastor’s office door (27%).
Christians and Sex: Sexual Issues in the Church. Christianity Today, 2003.
Fifty-six percent of adults attend church services in a typical month.
More People Use Christian Media Than Attend Church. The Barna Update, 14 March 2005.

Portrayals of Sex in the Media

75 percent of prime time television in the 1999-2000 season included sexual content
Sex on TV: Content and Context. The Kaiser Family Foundation, 5 February, 2001.
Movies have an 87% likelihood of presenting sexual material
Sex on TV: Content and Context. The Kaiser Family Foundation, 5 February, 2001.
More than 3 out of 4 Americans say the way television programs show sex encourages irresponsible sexual behavior
Teens, Sex, & the Media. www.mediascope.org, 15 March, 2000.
66 percent of children (ages 10-16) surveyed say their peers are influenced by television shows
It's Just Harmless Entertainment…Oh Really? Parents Television Council. www.parentstv.org.
64 percent of all shows include sexual content, and only 15% mention waiting, protection, and consequences
TV Sex Getting "Safer." Kaiser Family Foundation. www.kff.org, 2003.
Playboy’s largest cable channel, Playboy TV, is available in 24 million of the nation’s 81 million homes that receive either satellite, cable or digital television
Court Overrules Law restricting Cable Sex Shows, Linda Greenhouse. The New York Times On the Web. http://www.nytimes.com/library/politics/scotus/articles/052300scotus.html
59 percent of parents say their 4-6 year-old boys imitate aggressive behavior from television
Zero to Six: Electronic Media in the Lives of Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers. Kaiser Family Foundation, 28 October, 2003.
Teenagers who watch a lot of television with sexual content are twice as likely to engage in intercourse than those who watch few such programs according to a study headed by the RAND Corp. and funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Study links TV to teen sexual activity. www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/09/07/tv.teen.sex.reut/index.html. 7 September, 2004.
60 percent of parents say they are “very” concerned about the amount of sex their children are exposed to on television
Parents Favor New Limits on TV Content in Early Evening Hours. Kaiser Family Foundation. 23 September, 2004.
63 percent of parents favor new regulations to limit the amount of sex and violence in TV shows during the early evening hours when children are most likely to be watching
Parents Favor New Limits on TV Content in Early Evening Hours. Kaiser Family Foundation. 23 September, 2004.
Youth exposed to sexual content on television are more likely to overestimate the frequency of sexual activity among peers and have more permissive attitudes toward premarital sex.
State of the Nation: Challenges Facing STD Prevention in Youth. American Social Health Association, 2005.
Over 80% of shows popular with teens contain sexual content, a rate higher than shows for other audiences. Only 15% of sexual encounters of TV alluded to the possible risks or responsibilities of sexual activity.
A biennial report of the Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2003.
Adolescents who watch television with high levels of sexual content are twice as likely to initiate sexual intercourse and also more likely to initiate other sexual activities.
Watching sex on television predicts adolescent initiation of sexual behavior, Collins RL et al. Pediatrics, 2004.
Two out of three parents (63%) say they are “very concerned that children are being exposed to too much inappropriate content in entertainment media,” and another one in four (26%) say they are “somewhat” concerned. A third (34%) say TV concerns them the most.
Parents, Media and Pubic Policy: A Kaiser Family Foundation Survey. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Fall 2004.
When it comes to TV, 60% of parents say they are “very” concerned that their children are being exposed to too much sexual content in the TV shows they watch; 53% are “very” concerned about violent content, and 49% about adult language.
Parents, Media and Pubic Policy: A Kaiser Family Foundation Survey. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Fall 2004.
Fifty-three percent of all parents say they believe that exposure to sexual content in TV shows contributes “a lot” to children becoming involved in sexual situations before they’re ready, with another 30% saying they believe it contributes “somewhat.”
Parents, Media and Pubic Policy: A Kaiser Family Foundation Survey. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Fall 2004.
Sixty-three percent of parents say they favor “new regulations to limit the amount of sex and violence in TV shows during the early evening hours, when children are most likely to be watching,” while 35% oppose them.
Parents, Media and Pubic Policy: A Kaiser Family Foundation Survey. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Fall 2004.
Fifty-two percent of parents say cable should be subject to the same standards as broadcast television, and 43% say it should not.
Parents, Media and Pubic Policy: A Kaiser Family Foundation Survey. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Fall 2004.
Teens with high levels of exposure to rap videos, which often promote drug use, violence and sex, are significantly more likely to acquire an STD.
A prospective study of exposure to rap music video and African American female adolescents’ health, Wingood GM et al. American Journal of Public Health, 2003.
A Pew Research Center poll in April 2005 showed that most people support higher fines on broadcasters and favor extending indecency rules to cable
Indecent or not? TV, radio walk fuzzy line, Paul Davidson. USA Today. 3 June 2005.
Pay-TV services reach 85% of U.S. homes
Indecent or not? TV, radio walk fuzzy line, Paul Davidson. USA Today. 3 June 2005.

Sexually Oriented Businesses (SOB)

Sex offenses are 506% greater in Phoenix, Arizona areas where SOBs are located
Warning: What you risk by using pornography. National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families.
Annual rentals and sales of adult videos and DVDs top $4 billion
The Actress, the Producer, and Their Porn Revolution, Ralph Frammolino and P.J. Huffstutter. Las Angeles Times Magazine, 6 January, 2002.
90 percent of surveyed real estate professionals in Los Angeles believe market value of homes would decrease by 20% when located near concentrated SOBs
Partnering with the Business Community to Fight Sexually Oriented Businesses. American Family Association. www.afa.net.

Entertainment/Technology/Advertising

Advanced Technology

In 2000 73% of youths ages 12-17 were reported to be Internet users, versus 87% in 2004. For adults, 56% reported to be Internet users in 2000, whereas 66% used it by 2004.
Internet use up for young and old, USA Today, 7 September 2004.
73% of teens report they have a desktop computer, 45% report they have a cell phone, 18% say they have a laptop computer, and 7% have a personal digital device such as a palm pilot.
Pew Internet & American Life Project survey. USA Today. 24 August 2005.
The portable porn market could grow to nearly $200 million a year here by 2009
Mini-Porn Could be Mega-Business, Mike Musgrove, www.washingtonpost.com, 2005
Sales of Apple’s iPod has soared over the past 3 years. During the October-December quarter, 14 million iPods were sold in 2005, compared to 4.5 million sold in the 2004 quarter and 733,000 during the 2003 quarter.
Apple Computer, USA Today, 11 January 2006.
In a USA today poll, children ages 8 to 18 report what they are more likely to do at a home computer rather than at school: 35% say they would chat with someone they don’t know, 30% say they would download music without paying for it, 29% say they would go to websites they probably shouldn’t go to, 24% say they would give out their personal information online, and 22% say they would download software without paying for it.
Youth Internet usage, Harris Interactive for Business Software Alliance, 2006
Approximately 23% of children in nursery school, ages, 3, 4, or 5 have gone online according to the Education Department
ABC, WEB, Now I know my Internet, Ben Feller. Cincinnati Enquirer. 5 June 2005.
Fewer than 1 in 10 teenagers believe that music piracy is morally wrong
The Barna Group, USA Today, 26 April, 2004. http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaUpdateID=162.
DVD player from RCA allows parents to filter movie content deemed objectionable in four categories: violence, sex and nudity, language and other
DVD players filter movies for content, Gary Gentile. The Cincinnati Enquirer, 19 April, 2004.
66 percent of Americans support an a la carte cable pricing, giving families the power to pay for only the channels they choose
Poll adds to push for a la carte cable pricing, Michael McCarthy. USA Today, 5 May, 2004.
ClearPlay created a new $70 DVD player (available at Wal-Mart) that has built-in filters designed to skip over violence and nudity and to mute salty language in 100 movies; more than 600 titles are available for download
Hollywood riled up over ClearPlay, Mike Snider. USA Today, 6 May, 2004.
“Senate agreed to boost maximum fine for broadcasters airing offensive shows to $275,000 per incident from $32,5000, to a maximum of $3 million a day.”
Increased indecency fines pass Senate, Paul Davidson. USA Today, 23 June, 2004.
54 percent of young men ages 18 to 24 use instant messaging to communicate
Survey: Young Men would do without video games before TV, Michael McCarthy & Dan Goodman. USA Today, 26 July, 2004.
Only 5% of parents say they are not concerned about their children viewing inappropriate content. Of these parents, 34 percent say television content worries them the most, 16% are worried most by the Internet, 10% by movies, 7% by music, and 5% by video games. Hot-button issues. USA Today Snapshots.
Sixteen percent of adults spend time visiting faith-oriented websites during the typical month. The Internet is the only mass medium among those tested whose audience share has grown during the past decade. The proportion of the population using the Internet for faith purposes has increased by two-thirds since 1998.
More People Use Christian Media Than Attend Church. The Barna Update, 14 March 2005.
Thirty-five percent of adults read a Christian magazine during a typical month. One-third of all adults read a Christian book.
More People Use Christian Media Than Attend Church. The Barna Update, 14 March 2005.

Radio

“Men’s magazine Maxim plans to announce a deal with Sirius Satellite Radio today to launch a ‘Maxim Radio’ network this fall.”
Satellite radio to tune in ‘Maxim,’ Michael McCarthy. USA Today, 7 June, 2004.
Forty-six percent of all adults listen to a Christian radio broadcast in a typical month (down from 56% in 1992), and 16% listen on a daily basis. Christian radio has lost one-third of its non-Christian audience in the past 13 years.
More People Use Christian Media Than Attend Church. The Barna Update, 14 March 2005.
Twenty-three percent of all unchurched Americans listen to Christian radio in a typical month, representing a nationwide audience of 17 million adults who do not attend a church.
More People Use Christian Media Than Attend Church. The Barna Update, 14 March 2005.

Cell Phones

The Yankee group predicts the mobile adult-content business to be worth $1 billion worldwide by 2008, while Juniper Research has it at $2.1 billion by 2009.
Putting Flesh on Phones, Daniel Terdiman, www.wired.com, 2005
Sexual content (pornography) over cell phones will generate over $1.5 billion in Western Europe, as the Vodafone Group introduces and provides “risqué” content to customers’ phones
In Europe, Cell Phone Profits Go Up as Clothes Come Off, Jennifer L. Schenker. The New York Times, 4 May, 2004.
By the end of 2004, the number of wireless subscribers in the USA surpassed 180.5 million with revenue topping $102 billion, up 21.7 million subscribers from 2003, according to CTIA, the wireless trade association.
Cell phone use booms, despite uneven service, Marilyn Elias. USA Today, 14 March 2004.
More than 60 percent of Americans are using wireless devices to talk, send e-mail, take pictures, watch video and listen to music.
Cell phone use booms, despite uneven service, Marilyn Elias. USA Today, 14 March 2004.
Increasingly, cell phones are being used for more than just talking. Many cell phone companies are offering entertainment-oriented add-ons that allow people to watch TV, check their email, surf the Web and listen to music.
Enter a whole new world through your phone, Jefferson Graham. USA Today, 13 May 2005.
50 million subscribers sent 4.4 billion text messages in Cingular’s first 2005 quarter.
Enter a whole new world through your phone, Jefferson Graham. USA Today, 13 May 2005.
Dwango Wireless will develop Playboy-themed games, images, video clips, voice clips and ring tones, and deliver that content to 170 million cell phone subscribers throughout North America through agreements with major wireless carriers such as Cingular, Nextel, T-Mobile and Verizon.
Enter a whole new world through your phone, Jefferson Graham. USA Today, 13 May 2005.
An independent study by IDC revealed that 33.2% of cell phone users in America, more than 55 million, are between the ages of 5 and 19.
Pornographers Set To Go After Children With Cell Phones. OneMillionDads.com, 27 April 2005.

Video Games

92% of children between the ages of 2 and 17 are playing video games.
Parents need our help, Rod Blagojevich, USA Today, 6 June 2005.
U.S. children are exposed to 8 1/2 hours of TV, video games, computers and other media a day, often at once. As a result, kids’ expectations are to be constantly entertained and, if they are not entertained, they quickly lose interest.
So much media, so little attention span, Marilyn Elias. USA Today, 31 March 2005.
About half of kids have a video game player in their rooms; more than two-thirds have TV sets.
So much media, so little attention span, Marilyn Elias. USA Today, 31 March 2005.
On average, 8-18 year old boys spend 1 hour, 12 minutes playing video games each day. Eight-18 year old girls spend 25 minutes per day.
So much media, so little attention span, Marilyn Elias. USA Today, 31 March 2005.

Television

More shows are including sex-related scenes and more often. In 1998 67% of prime time shows had sexual talk or behavior, in 2002 it increased to 71%, in 2005, 77%. Among shows with sexual content, 5 scenes are shown per hour overall, 5.9 scenes are shown in prime time per hour, 6.7 scenes are shown in teen shows per hour.
Sex and TV Kaiser Family Foundation. USA Today, 2005
The average 8-18 year old African American person will watch 4 hours, 5 minutes of television per day, Hispanics 3 hours, 23 minutes, and Whites 2 hours, 45 minutes.
So much media, so little attention span, Marilyn Elias. USA Today, 31 March 2005.
According to 8-18 year olds responding about television environment at home, 63% say the television is “usually” on during meals, 53% say there are no rules about TV watching, and 51% say the TV is on most of the time.
So much media, so little attention span, Marilyn Elias. USA Today, 31 March 2005.
Remaining unchanged from 1992, 45% of adults watch Christian television programming during a typical month. One-fourth of the unchurched—about 20 million adults—watch Christian television programming each month.
More People Use Christian Media Than Attend Church. The Barna Update, 14 March 2005.
Nearly all parents (99%) have a TV in the home (including 62% who have three or more sets), 81% have cable or satellite, 73% have Internet access, 63% have a video game player, 32% have premium cable channels, and 17% have a TV or DVD player in their car, with another 5% saying they are “very” likely to get one within the next year.
Parents, Media and Pubic Policy: A Kaiser Family Foundation Survey. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Fall 2004.

Ratings

Animated films rated G by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) received a significantly higher content-based score for violence on average than non-animated films rated G.
Violence, Sex, and Profanity in Films: Correlation of Movie Ratings With Content, Kimberly M. Thompson, ScD and Fumie Yokota, PhD. Medscape General Medicine, 12 July, 2004.
Age-based ratings alone do not provide good information about the depiction of violence, sex, profanity, and other content, and the criteria for rating movies has become less stringent over the last decade.
Violence, Sex, and Profanity in Films: Correlation of Movie Ratings With Content, Kimberly M. Thompson, ScD and Fumie Yokota, PhD. Medscape General Medicine, 12 July, 2004.
The MPAA tolerates increasingly more extreme content in any given age-based rating category over time; there has been a significant increase over years in violence, sex and profanity in PG, PG-13, and R-rated films. These data suggest that the MPAA applied increasingly more lenient criteria for its age-based ratings as a function of time over the last decade.
Violence, Sex, and Profanity in Films: Correlation of Movie Ratings With Content, Kimberly M. Thompson, ScD and Fumie Yokota, PhD. Medscape General Medicine, 12 July, 2004.

A Parents Television Council (PTC) study shows that ratings do not accurately reflect program content, with many lacking descriptors (such as “V” for violent)
Indecent or not? TV, radio walk fuzzy line, Paul Davidson. USA Today. 3 June 2005.
Fifteen percent of household used the V-chip, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation study.
Indecent or not? TV, radio walk fuzzy line, Paul Davidson. USA Today. 3 June 2005.

Entertainment

MTV plans to launch a network devoted entirely to its gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender audience in February, 2005. The network is to be named LOGO.
MTV plans network aimed at gay viewers, Michael McCarthy. USA Today, 26 May, 2004.
‘Young people are sexualized at an earlier and earlier age…Stars like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera have long been criticized for exploiting their sexuality for profit. The next generation can already be seen emulating its older sisters – literally.’
Mini-Britneys. The Washington Times, 3-9 May, 2004.

Advertising

Marketers are abstaining from sex as sales tool due to the after-shock of the Super Bowl half-time show; Anheuser-Busch, Victoria’s Secret and Abercrombie & Fitch are among the companies who are dropping risqué advertising
Risqué may be too risky for ads, Bruce Horovitz. USA Today, 16 April, 2004.
Carl’s, Jr. adopts Hugh Hefner as a representative for the hamburger chain, claiming, “as a pop-icon, Hefner appeals to our target audience and credibly communicates our message of variety.”
Christian Broadcaster Blasts Carl’s, Jr. for Ad’s Sexual Innuendo, James L. Lambert. American Family Association, November 2003.